During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the neighborhood of Westerleigh was known as Prohibition Park. At the time, the site housed many recreational activities for members of the temperance movement, so it's no surprise that once the neighborhood began to be developed, a few parks were created.
In the early part of the twentieth century, the National Prohibition Campground Association donated and sold several acres of land to the City of New York. In 1907, three acres of land were purchased by the city. For over half of a century, nothing was done to the three acres of woodlands.
In 1963, the site was assigned to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Shortly after, a baseball field began to be created on the site by the Westerleigh Little Guys & Gals, a neighborhood little league. The field was located on a section of land closest to North Avenue. Due to its location, the park itself was named North Avenue Park.
In 1986, another small section of land was given to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to be added to North Avenue Park. Much of the park is surrounded by houses. The streets which loosely surround the park are North Avenue, St. Anthony Place, Burnside Avenue, and Shaw Place.
During the late twentieth century, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Henry J. Stern, went around renaming many of Staten Island's parks. In 1996, he renamed North Avenue Park as Northerleigh Park, to better suit the neighborhood in which it was located. Just a few short years later, in 1999, the field was given a name, as well. The field was named Charles J. McClaughry Sr. Memorial Field, after the founder of the Westerleigh Little Guys & Gals league.
Posted by Anthony Licciardello on
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